Technical Abstract:
Artemisinin is the only natural antimalarial after quinine and is currently used in over 100 countries to fight chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. Because artemisinin synthesis produces final yields lower than 4%, Artemisia annua is the only commercial source of the compound. Artemisia annua is also being considered for traditional antimalarial use as a tea. This work reviews the ethnopharmacology, clinical efficacy, evolution of resistance, safety, and tolerability of artemisinin and its related antimalarials as well as some points about the cultivation of A. annua and its public health potentials if used as a traditional herbal antimalarial. This review aims to explore the possibilities on the supervised and responsible cultivation and use of Artemisia annua as a traditional preparation (tea) by the poor people of Africa, who cannot afford current antimalarials produced by pharmaceutical companies.